A 29-year-old Arkansas man jailed here in Reno County is association with the alleged inappropriate involvement with a 10-year-old child will get a mental or competency evaluation.

Dustin K. Kennedy from Ash Flat, Arkansas is charged with aggravated criminal sodomy or in the alternative aggravated indecent liberties with a child. That means he could be found guilty of one or the other, but not both. The alleged crime occurring back on November 10, 2011. Both charges are Jessica’s Law Counts, meaning if he’s convicted, the sentence would be life in prison with no chance of parole for 25-years.

In court his attorney sought and was granted the evaluation in the case which will be conducted at Horizon’s Mental Health Center, meaning the case will be on hold until after the evaluation is complete.

Kennedy was living with his girlfriend and was alone with her child when the alleged crime occurred. The child apparently told her mother and she then confronted Kennedy. He then went to the hospital and asked for help and that’s when police got involved. But, the mother had also contacted police about that same time according to Hutchinson Police Detective Scott Carlton.